The Agarthan Device is the Totenreich relic that makes people argue in party chat, because it isn't just “survive ten rounds and grab shiny thing.” If you're searching for it, you probably want the fast answer: yes, it's a Wicked-tier Cursed Mode relic, and yes, you need Richtofen, Cursed Mode Tier II or higher, and the Totenreich main Easter egg cleared before the side quest will behave. I burned a dumb amount of time testing the trigger while checking loadouts in a CoD BO7 Bot Lobby setup, and the big lesson was simple: if one condition is off, the map just shrugs at you. No warning. No mercy.

How to unlock the Agarthan Device in BO7 Zombies Totenreich

Start with the boring gate checks, because they save you from wasting a 40-minute run. You need to have beaten the Totenreich main quest at least once on your account, then load into Cursed Mode on Tier II or above. Pick Richtofen as your active character. Don't swap off him mid-setup if you're doing co-op, because the quest flags seem tied to who starts the chain. The relic isn't a normal pickup either. It's tied to Richtofen's side Easter egg, so you have to collect three quest items first: the helmet, the Mister Peeks item, and the handheld radio.

Where the helmet, Mister Peeks item, and radio come from

The first two items are annoying but pretty fair. You cycle the Tyr's Head teleport until the game spits you into one of the hidden rooms instead of dumping you back onto the main map. That's the RNG part, and yeah, it can be rude. I've had it give me two rooms by Round 12, and I've also had a run where it took until Round 19 because apparently the map wanted to watch me suffer. Keep one slow zombie alive, hit the teleport, check the room, leave, and repeat when the route opens again. Don't over-clear if your build isn't online yet.

BO7 Agarthan Device radio puzzle explained

The radio is where this quest stops being cute. You need an ARC-XD scorestreak, then send it through the vent route in Core Foundry to break into the hidden Group 935 Genetic Lab section. Once you're in that step, look for the number markings on the walls and convert them into letters so you can match the right labeled jars. The order matters. Grab the jars in the decoded order, mix the purple serum, then process it into the tool that opens the containment cell with the radio part. If you grab the jars like you're looting a fridge at 2 a.m., the serum step can fail and you're usually waiting until the next round to fix it.

How to start the Richtofen relic trial portal

Once you have all three pieces, take them to the throne tied to Wulfrun Von List. Place the helmet, Mister Peeks object, and radio there, then listen for the Mister Peeks audio cue. That's your green light. The portal should open over at Dry Dock, and you want to prep before stepping in. Seriously. Don't treat it like a normal challenge rift. The trial feels tuned around Round 50-ish speed and health, even if your actual round is lower, so a lazy Pack-a-Punch I gun won't cut it unless your perks and ammo mod are doing heavy lifting.

Best loadout for the Agarthan Device trial

I had the cleanest clear with a high-DPS bullet weapon, Deadshot, Speed Cola, and a panic lethal that could buy space without needing perfect aim. Wonder Weapons are weird here because some of them don't work in the Dry Dock trial, or they feel blocked by the ruleset, depending on the run. Bring something plain and mean. A Pack-a-Punched AR or LMG with good ammo economy is safer than a flashy toy that might get disabled. For co-op, don't all stand in one cute little corner. Split the spawn pull, call armor breaks, and rotate before the elites pin you. It sounds basic, but basic wins here.

What the Agarthan Device relic does in Cursed Mode

The reward is why people put up with all this nonsense. When equipped, the Agarthan Device changes the round flow by rotating zombie types, so you aren't just dealing with the same meat wall forever. You can get elemental variants, mutated classes, and mixed pressure that forces you to change how you train. It also feeds into higher Cursed Mode reward paths on Totenreich, including cosmetic and completionist goals. I haven't seen the game show clean numbers for the Essence gain bump or exact health values on each rotated enemy type, so don't trust anyone throwing out perfect percentages unless they show testing. The relic is strong, but the UI is kinda stingy.

Common Agarthan Device bugs and mistakes to avoid

The biggest run-killer is starting another major story beat while the radio puzzle is half done. If a cinematic or main quest trigger fires at the wrong time, the ARC-XD breach point can reset, and then you're farming another scorestreak like a clown. I did it once. Never again. Also watch your augments if your group is stacking weird Cursed Mode effects; some combinations seem to block quest checks, though the game doesn't list the exact offenders. If you just want to practice the setup without a full sweat lobby, a BO7 Bot Lobby can help you learn the routes before you risk a real run. Bring patience, bring ammo, and don't enter Dry Dock underbuilt.